TIPS: 1. kids under 2 attend for FREE. 2. there’s a Groupon for that. 3. wear comfortable shoes & a colorful outfit for pictures 4. make an agreement with your kid prior to attending if you do not want to shop the pop-up Lego store. 5. ENJOY!

The Building Blocks team and I had been tirelessly preparing for “Summer Carnival” for the past 2 months. At 6am Carnival day, it was raining nonstop but I was still hopeful. The rain came down even harder while we were setting up at 8am. Even under our tents, the sidewalk was accumulating water. Then I started to become unsure whether a small portion of the 180+ families who had registered would even come to play. Luckily, as if someone pushed the big red button, the rain stopped exactly at 10am–at carnival time! It was very rewarding to see smiles everywhere and hear parents say “thank you for this. We love having you in the neighborhood”.